Warner Bros. has released its official list for consideration at the 95th Academy Awards and it includes Austin Butler and Robert Pattinson for their iconic performances in Elvis and The Batman respectively. The list also features Don’t Worry Darling, DC League of Super-Pets, Navalny, and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Needless to say, the initial two overshadow the rest of the projects, especially considering the mind-bending transformation of the leads to mold into the personalities of Elvis and Batman in their respective films.
Warner Bros. Backs Austin Butler and Robert Pattinson
As much as people enjoy escaping into the cinematic world of make-believe, the art form still needs to produce a marker of excellence among the couple dozen projects churned out each year by Hollywood powerhouses and independent filmmakers. 2022 has been an eventful year for the industry in that respect — filled with controversies, emotions, and the ebb and flow of heart-stopping surprises and disappointments.
Also read: Elvis Review: A Hip Shakin’ Good Time
The two unquestionable good things to have surfaced out of the rubble of this year are Baz Luhrmann’s biopic, Elvis starring Austin Butler, and Matt Reeves-directed DC noir drama, The Batman starring Robert Pattinson. The two leads of the projects, in the aftermath of their films’ release, rose meteorically in fan praise and critical acclaim. While the former went through a life-altering metamorphosis affecting him and driving him to the edge of physical and mental breakdown, the latter delivered a more controlled and nuanced performance in a never-before-attempted approach to the life and story of Bruce Wayne aka Batman.
Fan Support Reigns Strong in Favor of Butler’s Elvis
Fan theories claim Austin Butler as Elvis Presley casts a considerable shadow over Battinson. The groundbreaking role that the budding actor has delivered on the big screen manages to not only portray Elvis’s volatile life to its core but drags out the emotions in each of the finely-tuned frames that he manages to dominate. The audience is then subjected to a once-in-a-lifetime performance that places the young actor in a troubled condition and in his endeavor to respect the legacy of the King of Rock ‘n Roll produces a masterpiece of his own.
Also read: The Batman Review: Perfectly Crafted Noir Thriller
On the other hand, Matt Reeves’ The Batman is a project that is incomparable to any of its namesakes from the Batman oeuvre. It rivals the impact of the standalone Dark Knight trilogy born from the ingenious mind of Christopher Nolan. Michael Giacchino rivals the original score of Hans Zimmer. Greig Fraser rivals the cinematography of Wally Pfister. And Robert Pattinson comes close to achieving the status of the best cinematic Batman adaptation to date. The dark noir thriller is not a one-man show but the contribution of the masterpieces of each of its individual constituents and as such deals a worthy competition to the otherwise widely preferred Elvis.
Source: WB Awards 2022
